What a shame. Welcome to our brave new world, where the media is even silent about the inequities of bad officiating.
I’ve never seen a team so little pleased to win a superbowl.

Each team is in it to win it, and as many pros say, a holding penalty could be called on damn near any play. If that bothers ya, you don’t tell the players not to block, you tell the league to revise the rule or enforce it and throw the flag on every f*ckign play. B
Saltyron on February 2, 2009 at 12:30 PM

Actually, I think you are right – the NFL should seriously review holding. As it is now, it happens quite a bit and gets called randomly. While I do believe the refs try and call it fairly, this is an inherently unfair system, as what is a foul on one play is not on another.

Perhaps it is a flaw in my memory, but it seems to me that holding was called more consistently in the past.

Oh and PLEASE drop the “roughing the passer” penalty. The rules should be the same for the QB as any other player.

Pittsburgh Steelers versus Arizona Cardinals

Prediction: the Score by quarter:

First Quarter: 7-7
Second Quarter: 17-7
Third Quarter: 27-7
Fourth Quarter: 27-7

It doesn’t matter who has what score as long as the last digit from each team is…

Ben should be MVP. He threw the passes.

conservative pilgrim on February 1, 2009 at 10:32 PM
Check the stats. Big Ben had nothin’ to do with Harrison’s TD. Warner had more yardage.

Terrie on February 1, 2009 at 10:43 PM

Holmes had a great game, and he made a lot of yardage with his legs AFTER some of his earlier catches, and that TD catch was spectacular. He deserves the MVP.

Big Ben might have had fewer yards passing than Warner, but he did save a lot of otherwise broken plays by scrambling to avoid being sacked, then completing passes for first downs. He’s a close call with Holmes for MVP.

If the Cards had won, the MVP should have been Fitzgerald–so many acrobatic catches, and that man can FLY!

In any case, a great game, worthy of the Super Bowl.

Cheating is cheating whether you are caught or not.

darclon on February 2, 2009 at 10:30 AM

In the first place, I simply can’t believe there’s someone here so freakin’ JUVENILE as to be blaming the referees for throwing the game. The refs are part of the game, for better or worse, and if you haven’t grown up enough to swallow that, you really shouldn’t be watching sports.

In the second place, to call penalties like holding “cheating” is too silly for words. There are penalties for real cheating, and they usually involve suspension from the league. What you’re talking about are rules designed to keep the game civil and safe; minor infractions of those rules are expected, that’s why the refs are there.

Personally, I thought the refereeing of the game was bad, and I got irritated at the refs for not letting the players play the doggone game, but to whine about it like you are is childish.

Cheating is cheating whether you are caught or not.

darclon on February 2, 2009 at 10:30 AM

Here’s some official stats for that grievance petition:

Penalties-yards: Steelers = 7-56; Cardinals = 11-106. The difference in penalties called = 4. Not 60. 4. Yards? 56. A little more than 15, girlfriend. If the Steelers were buying the refs, they didn’t really get what they paid for, since they had to hustle a come from behind win at the end.

The Steelers had a TD called back from them, and had big plays called back from penalties as well. Bear in mind sweetness, the Cards were WINNING at the end and had the Steelers on their heels, and likely would have won without some serious come-from-behind guts under pressure by the Steelers.

Maybe we can go over the film like the Kennedy assassination and point out where a shoe lace was untied and how mean stupid that made the refs, or the Steelers got a little too much dirt on Warner’s jersey in a “CONTACT SPORT” and how he should burn in hell for it, but it don’t change a thang. Steelers 27, Cards 23.

And to name names re- officiating,the officials for the game were:

* Referee: Terry McAulay, #77; second Super Bowl, refereed Super Bowl XXXIX.
* Umpire: Roy Ellison #81
* Head Linesman: Derick Bowers #74
* Line Judge: Mark Perlman #9
* Field Judge: Greg Gautreaux #80
* Side Judge: Michael Banks #72
* Back Judge: Keith Ferguson #61

* Alternate Officials
o Referee: Ron Winter, #14
o Umpire: Darrell Jenkins #76
o Line Judge: Darryll Lewis #130
o Field Judge: Doug Rosenbaum #67
o Back Judge: Billy Smith #2

Get to work on that petition.

Further, read my damn post. I didn’t prop Harrison up as a personal hero or replacement for Mr. Rodgers, dipshite, I said he was held ALL YEAR and many times in last nights game, with I think only one called. But that’s OK right, cause I don’t read ya biatching about it, do I? That cards player shouldn’t have walked off the filed and flogged himself for his sins, but Harrison should have thrown himself on the sword? THAT”S WHAT REFS ARE FOR. He could be Ted Bundy, but HE WAS STILL HELD AND PENALTIES (your favorite thang) WERE NOT CALLED. I understand penalties should be called in situations like that. Didn’t happen much. Harrison and the Steelers could have boo-hooed and left the field, but they stayed and played. And won. If you want him on house arrest with Ray Lewis, again, start that petition.

I long ago quit blaming teams for the decisions of the officials. In 2005 I watched the Colts get a second chance against the Steelers in the playoffs when the refs blew a Palomolu interception/fumble/recovery that the BLIND could see was legit, and I didn’t blame the Colts for it.

I like the Cards. Warner is a good guy, and Whiz is da man. If they would have won, if I was a Steeler I would have been proud to lose to them. They earned it. If the refs tipped the game, blame the refs. Each team is in it to win it, and as many pros say, a holding penalty could be called on damn near any play. If that bothers ya, you don’t tell the players not to block, you tell the league to revise the rule or enforce it and throw the flag on every f*ckign play. But when the Steelers main rusher (and NFL player o da’ year), whether he is a child molester or not, is held all game in such an obvious fashion to keep him from piledriving the QB, that gets f*ckign old real quick.

Again, save your biatching for the refs.

Officiating was not the best, but that seems to be par for the course this year.

The Steelers had plenty called on them, and more than a few plays called back against us tot he Cards favor. Saltyron on February 2, 2009 at 10:20 AM

The Cardinals had roughly 100 yards or penalties against them. The Steelers had around 15.

Harrison was held so often in that game (and this season as a whole) the offensive players looked like wool sweaters draped around his shoulders like a college preppy.

If you want to prop up Harrison as a hero or even argue that he should have been in the game after that personal foul, then go ahead. But don’t claim that you support sportsmanship of any sort or understand how football should be played.

I don’t fault the Cards, if you can “cheat” with a penalty they don’t call, do it. I blame the refs for overlooking it.

Cheating is cheating whether you are caught or not.

You probably think that the Steelers played a nice clean game against the Seahawks, don’t you? Ben probably scored that phantom TD during that game too, right?

Quit yer biatching. Have a problem with the penalties? Talk to the league and the refs. The Steelers had plenty called on them, and more than a few plays called back against us tot he Cards favor. Harrison was held so often in that game (and this season as a whole) the offensive players looked like wool sweaters draped around his shoulders like a college preppy. After about a season of that with very few penalties called in our favor on that, I give Harrison credit for not punching the refs.

Better get to work on that petition for redress of grievances.

I knew the Cards scored too soon.

I don’t know about the refs, I guess I missed some of the calls. I do like to see the flags stay in the pocket in big games, except for really blatant stuff. That running into the holder call would have been a great non-call, but didn’t factor into the scoring.

The one really bad call I saw was a defensive holding on the Cards, but that’s the NFL for you. That happens all the time, guy grabs a little piece of the shirt and the ref just happens to glance that way – out comes the flag.

I think the refs have become “worse” as camera technology gets better.

DeathToMediaHacks on February 2, 2009 at 12:01 AM

A porno is a brief glimpse of nudity outside sexual context? I realize you’re probably 14 or 15 and think boobies are cool, but don’t fret, in another 15 years you might grow up.

And thank-you Cardinals, for giving us fans here in Arizona such an exciting season.

Better yet, ask any Ravens fan. McAulay broke NFL rules by reviewing a play AFTER another play had been run. Tennessee Coach Jeff Fisher, co-chair of the league’s competition committee that’s charged with maintaining the league’s integrity, later called the mistake “costly” and “unacceptable.”

An NFL spokesman declined to confirm the Super Bowl crew’s identity, and declined to make Mike Pereira, the league’s vice president of officiating, available for comment. Don’t belive me? Look it up. I don’t watch the NFL any more for two reasons: First, the inane and completely clueless television broadcasters. Second, the referees who seem to have their minds made up in advance about who should win the game.

otherwise, it is time for sweet sleep

Besides, we got to discuss in detail our trip to the shooting range earlier – good grouping even with the off-hand.